Litter for tending bed-ridden patients

ABSTRACT

A litter on which bedridden patients may be washed in which a patient supporting surface of rectangular shape and being made of a liquid impermeable material is provided with a low upstanding peripheral rim and a wedge-shaped recess extends axially from one short end of the surface approximately one-half the length of the supporting surface and serves as a drain for the washing liquid.

linited States Patent [191 Lurn [11] 3,822,421 [451 July 9,1974

[ LITTER FOR TENDING BED-RIDDEN PATIENTS [75] Inventor: Jan Lorn, Vastra Frolunda,

Sweden [73] Assignee: Sederberg Tollman AB, Vastra Frolunda, Sweden 22 Filed: Dec. 1, 1971 211 App]. No.: 203,662

521 user 14/173 51 lnLCl ..A47k 3/00 [58] Field of Search 4/185 L, 185 B, 173, 199, 4/183, 177 A, 177

2,724,839 11/1955 Kennedy 4/177 A 2,798,229 7/1957 McQuown 4/185 L 2,876,459 3/1959 Ackerson 4/185 B FOREIGN PATENTS 0R APPLICATIONS 1,260,152 3/1961 France 4/183 204,938 5/1966 Sweden 4/185 L Primary Examiner-Billy J. Wilhite Assistant Examiner-Donald B. Massenberg Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Holman & Stern [57] 7 ABSTRACT A litter on which bedridden patients may be washed in which a patient supporting surface of rectangular shapeand being made of a liquid impermeable material is provided with a low upstanding peripheral rim and a wedge-shaped recess extends axially from one short end of the surface approximately one-half the length of the supporting surface and serves as a drain for the washing liquid.

2 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION tient.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention pertains to a litter specially designed for washing and performing similar treatment of patients, who during this treatment are transferred from their bed to the litter. This litter consists of a basicallyrectangula'r table of liquid impermeable material provided with a peripheral low rim-portion and a trench located centrally in the tablet and extending about halfway along the latter, away from'one of the short ends of the table and having'a generally wedge shaped config'uration'with decreasing depth, as seen from the said short end.

According to further developments of the invention the rim portion of the table is designed to support a head rest, as well as supports along its longitudinal sides.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE'DRAWING FIG. 2 is a cross section through the litter along line ll II of FIG. 1, and

FIG. 3 is a cross section through the litter along line Ill Ill DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The litter consists of a basically rectangular supporting surface or table 10 having dimensions suitable to ment of the table heightwise with respect to the base structure, and further means (not shown) may be provided to make possible a tilting of the table about the longitudinal and/or transverse central axis.

The table is surrounded by a low upstanding rim por-. tion 14, inside of which there is a shallow, circumferential recess 15 serving as a drain. A recess or well 16 extends in an axial direction centrally of the table away from one of its short ends 17, towards which, during use, the feet of a patient will be turned. This recess 16 extends halfway'along the table, about to the position of the crotch of a patient resting thereon. The recess is generally wedge shaped, tapering away from the short end of the table'and likewise decreasing in depth from that end.

The recess 16 isconnected to a discharge pipe 18 which is provided with a shut-off valve I9.

The rim portion 14 is designed to cooperate with means for adequately supporting a patient on the table. A head rest 20 is provided with side supporting border portions 21. This head rest is suitably inclined and front ends 22 of the border portions are designed to enclose the rim portion 14 at the longitudinal sides of the table.

When thehead rest is engaged with the table, it will be satisfactorily retained in the transverse direction, but may be displaced along the table to make possible an adjustment according to the height of the patient.

The table is furthermore provided with a support member 23 at each of its longitudinal sides. In the embodiment shown there are two openings 24 in each longitudinal side of the rim portion, and each support member 23 is provided with matching pegs or pins 25. Manifestly, the support members 23 are of a material which is self-sustaining. It is evident that any other well known means for detachably fitting the support members to the table may be used.

The support members are removable in order to facilitate the transfer of a patient from the bed to the litter at any side thereof. The arms 12 of the base structure are formed in-such a manner, and extend pairwise to each side of the longitudinal middle plane, so the support members, when removedfrom the table, may be transported on the base structure, as indicated in FIG. 1.

One end of each support member is bent or curved at 26 to provide a support also at part of the foot-end of the table. The support member may have a height to make them suitable as splash-guards when showering a patient.

As can be seen from FIGS. 3 and 4 the table has a slightly convex cross-sectional shape, in such a manner that the surface of the table 10 in the region without the recess 16 slopes from its longitudinal central line towards the circumferential recess 15, whereas the surface in the region of the recess 16 has its highest portion between the recess 16. and the circumferential recess and slopes towards the same.

By giving the table this cross-sectional shape, it is guaranteed that excrements and other secretions as well as washing liquid is washed away from the patients body when the patient is washed or showered.

What we claim is:

1. A litter for tending bedridden patients and particularly washing patients, comprising a rectangular table of liquid impermeable material, said table having a head end and a foot end, a low rim portion extending about the entire periphery of the table, said table having a centrally located recess extending from the foot end about half-way of the length of the table, said recess being generally wedge-shaped decreasing in depth with distance from said foot end and serving as a drain, side supports of self-sustaining material, complemented means on said side supports and rim portion for detachably connecting the side supports to the table for serving as splash guards and for preventing a patient from sliding off the table, and a support on which said table is mounted, said support including a central pillar portion attached to the table, at least two arms extending outwardly to each side of the longitudinal middle plane of the pillar portion, a castor wheel extending downwardly from each arm, and each arm having a generally rest to the head end of the table. 

1. A litter for tending bedridden patients and particularly washing patients, comprising a rectangular table of liquid impermeable material, said table having a head end and a foot end, a low rim portion extending about the entire periphery of the table, said table having a centrally located recess extending from the foot end about half-way of the length of the table, said recess being generally wedge-shaped decreasing in depth with distance from said foot end and serving as a drain, side supports of self-sustaining material, complemented means on said side supports and rim portion for detachably connecting the side supports to the table for serving as splash guards and for preventing a patient from sliding off the table, and a support on which said table is mounted, said support including a central pillar portion attached to the table, at least two arms extending outwardly to each side of the longitudinal middle plane of the pillar portion, a castor wheel extending downwardly from each arm, and each arm having a generally planar upper surface serving to carry the side supports when the side supports are detached from the rim portion.
 2. The litter as claimed in claim 1, further including a head rest having longitudinal edge portions for enclosing the rim portion of the longitudinal sides of the table at the head end for adjustably attaching the head rest to the head end of the table. 